Senior Finance & Operations Associate - UJALA

Summary of the Organization:

J-PAL and UM6P are partnering to form the UM6P-J-PAL Agricultural Lab for Africa (UJALA). UJALA funds research to rigorously evaluate agricultural technologies and practices designed to increase small-scale farmers’ food security, productivity, and profitability. UJALA aims to answer critical questions 

related to designing and delivering effective food and agricultural subsidies, assessing the value of fertilizer customization to crop needs and soil nutrients, reducing low-income households’ reliance on imported food, alleviating farmers’ constraints to adopting and maintaining new agricultural technologies and practices, and connecting farmers to markets that sell at competitive prices. 

Summary of the Role: 

We are recruiting a Senior Finance and Operations Associate to be based at University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) in Rabat, Morocco. The UM6P-J-PAL Agricultural Lab for Africa (UJALA) aims to generate rigorous, policy-relevant evidence to answer critical questions around small-scale agriculture and food security in Africa. Under the supervision of the UJALA Lab Director, the Senior Finance and Operations Associate will serve as the financial and operational lead for the lab’s portfolio of funded projects. They will work with finance and operations staff across UM6P and J-PAL Global to ensure compliance with required protocols and efficient operational management as well as overall budget management and reporting to donors and from research grantees. Tasks include a mix of financial operations, grants management, and leading organizational projects in the F&O area, all within a university environment.

Responsibilities:

Finance and Grants (40%)

Along with other staff, lead activities within UJALA to respond to requests for proposals and other grant opportunities. 

Manage the submission of grant proposals into UJALA’s (J-PAL’s) internal systems, coordinating technical inputs, working with technical staff to prepare budgets and explanatory notes. 

Participate in Finance and Operations (F&O) strategic planning on funding priorities and annual plans for UJALA.

Participate in presentations of proposals to funders, UJALA co-chairs, and the Lab Director, focusing on budget administrative questions and their fit with project needs. 

Lead UJALA’s input with donors, UM6P, and J-PAL on grant negotiations, facilitating finalization of successful grant awards among all parties. 

Supervise work post-research award to ensure efficient financial and grants management practices for UJALA’s projects following award. 

Reporting 

Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual budget reports, budget forecasts, and financial analyses for UJALA staff, senior management, and donors. 

Track and monitor the financial performance of various grants and contracts to ensure compliance with UM6P, J-PAL, and/or sponsor policies.

Working with other UJALA staff and J-PAL’s initiative management team, establish subawards for recipients of research grants. 

Supervise subaward management, including receipt of award deliverables, and the tracking of finances. 

Manage subaward closeout processes with UM6P and award recipients. 

Operations (30%) 

Office operations 

Work with UJALA’s Lab Director, J-PAL integration team, and staff to ensure efficient operational management. 

Assist leadership by providing input into the strategic goal-planning process for the lab. 

Perform needs analysis for upgrades and improvements to processes and procedures. Recommend and/or implement enhancements as agreed to. 

Support an efficient, welcoming office environment for staff and visitors, including coordinating office improvements and managing office supplies 

Liaise with one or more J-PAL regional offices (in addition to J-PAL’s Global office) to support financial and operational management of shared or overlapping projects.

Strategize workforce planning for the lab and play an important role in hiring and training future staff. 

Collaborate with other UJALA staff, UM6P, J-PAL Global, and J-PAL Regional Offices as relevant to organize UJALA events and training programs, leading on logistical aspects.

HR Coordination (30%) 

Support recruitment efforts, including by coordinating job postings and other outreach, application screening, preparing relevant documentation, and interview scheduling. o Collaborate with UJALA staff, and UM6P and J-PAL Global HR on onboarding and offboarding for UJALA staff. 

Support management of UJALA staff’s access to administrative systems and platforms. Maintain documentation for staff leave, travel, and expenses. 

Assist the Lab Director and managers, as relevant, in coordinating performance review processes. 

Support UJALA staff travel, including visa, transport and accommodation booking, and other related processes. 

Qualifications:

Education: A bachelor’s degree is required. 

Experience: At least three years’ experience in finance, operations, and administrative management; experience in accounting and financial planning, and experience working in international development are a strong plus. 

Work style: Attention to detail, ability to work on projects independently and make decisions, along with a willingness to pitch in to get tasks done are all important. 

Travel: Willingness and ability to travel internationally required. Position may require travel to a project location or a J-PAL Office. 

Time Management: Proven ability to handle several different projects/tasks at one time and meet deadlines. A willingness to work hard, be self-motivated and learn will be essential for doing well in this position. Punctuality and consistency in work hours is required. 

Communication: Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and confidently orally and in writing is required. Ability to build good relationships and work within a team; ability to communicate clearly with a broad range of stakeholders. Is empowered to communicate compliance, legal or financial concerns to teams or management. Experience with presentations. Advanced proficiency in English and French is required. 

Attention to Detail: Strong ability to self- manage a time-sensitive workflow while maintaining high quality output and absolute accuracy with details. 

Cultural competencies: You are comfortable and adept at working in a diverse and multicultural work environment, with colleagues, partners and policymakers from around the world. You display sensitivity, adaptability, and inclusivity in your engagement with people from diverse backgrounds including age, ability, culture, gender, nationality, race and ethnicity, religion, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and other identities. Experience with living in Morocco or a low- or middle-income country is a strong advantage.